A DESIGN-BASED EXPERIMENT INTEGRATING READING AND WRITING IN A FIRST-YEAR COLLEGE COMPOSITION CLASS

Author

• Marina Paula Carreira Rolim, Southern Illinois University CarbondaleFollow

Date of Award

5-1-2026

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Education

First Advisor

Miller, Grant

Second Advisor

Bacon, Heidi

Abstract

The purpose of this design-based research was to support first-year composition (FYC) students in navigating reading and writing during the Literature Review essay unit. Participants included 19 students enrolled at a Midwestern university, one instructor of record, and four additional participants (two faculty members, one graduate teaching assistant, and one disability services staff member) who provided contextual insights into their experiences with FYC students. I used a mixed methods convergent design for data collection. Quantitative data included scores from writing assessments and self-assessment questionnaires (MARSI-R). Qualitative data included observation field notes, reflective journals, and semi-structured interviews. To analyze data, I used descriptive statistics and first and second-cycle coding through Structural and In Vivo methods. The unit integrated reading and writing through strategy instruction and scaffolded assignments (annotated bibliography, synthesis matrix, peer review), and individualized support through conference-based instruction. The findings indicate that students began the unit with diverse levels of academic preparation, revealing gaps between perceived use of reading strategies and actual writing performance. Students who achieved the expected level of competency engaged consistently with embedded support and demonstrated strategic use of resources. Persistent barriers included inconsistent attendance, time management challenges, and under-preparation. The results suggest that instructors should account for the diversity of student preparation by designing and integrating curricula that provide explicit and flexible literacy support. Such curricula may include individualized student-instructor conferences and scaffolded reading-writing activities designed to support differentiation. As first-year composition continues to serve a diverse and growing population of students entering college from various backgrounds, this study also offers recommendations for multi-tiered systems of support to address the full range of students’ literacy preparation.